In the wake of several high-profile mass shootings, the political left has been perpetually up in arms regarding the ostensible danger of gun ownership. The tragedy, however, is that most of these deadly rampages took place in so-called gun-free zones, meaning the maniac shooter was the only armed person present.

When a law-abiding gun owner is present at the scene of such senseless violence, however, the results can be much different.

Such was the case recently in Glendale, Ariz., when the host of a residential party asked one guest to leave. A short time later, the 27-year-old nuisance returned with a rifle.

After firing off a few shots outside, the man aimed his firearm at people at the party. Before any innocent victims were injured or killed, though, a man at the scene drew his firearm and eliminated the threat.

A local police spokesperson indicated that the events that transpired constitute “standard procedure under these types of circumstances.”

Though an investigation is under way, officer Tracey Breeden remarked that early information indicates “the 27-year-old was not only firing his rifle, endangering partygoers, but also pointed the weapon at other partygoers, endangering them, prior to the 39-year-old displaying a weapon and shooting the 27-year-old.”

By focusing solely on the misuse of firearms, the left purposefully ignores the primary use of guns — personal protection. For all their posturing on the issue, even leftists facing a lunatic with a gun would rather be able to fire back than merely await their turn in the massacre.

Anyone who contends that the Second Amendment should be repealed because an infinitesimal minority misuse that right is either lying or pitifully misinformed. Unfortunately, those two attributes describe the majority of today’s self-professed progressives.